For Wrightbus, this year's show is a bit of a milestone to them because, for the first time ever, they are showing off some of their latest integral products in an effort to stamp their ground as a prominent busbuilder, instead of just a bodybuilder. Hot of the news though, is their facelifted "Millenium" range, which has been around for some 9 years.
The first of the facelifted range to be unveiled is, of course, the Eclipse 2, and one example, part of the launch order by Lothian was displayed:
More significantly, the show saw the integral Gemini 2 finally making its debut. The vehicle displayed is the hybrid-drive HEV version, one of the 5 ordered by First London (on top of 5 diesel-powered version):
On the face of it, both the Eclipse 2 and Gemini 2 look like the old version with a Streetcar front, but Wrightbus has done significant number of work that is not easily visible. For instance, both models have lost significant amount of weight - 300kg off for the Eclipse 2 and some 1,300kg off the Gemini 2. It also has a revised driver cab and crashworthiness has been improved as well. The Gemini 2 integral is built on chassis component supplied by VDL Bus, and has a bespoke dashboard designed by Wrightbus themselves.
As for the cabin, LEDs are used for internal lighting. For the upper deck, there isn't any significant change:
For the lower deck though, the story is a little different - it received a wide seat above the front wheel arch - and idea no doubt inspired by the Enviro 400 (which in turn nicked the idea from the Germans) and the seat layout is tidied up, giving 24 seats downstairs, 10 of which in the low floor area.
The Gemini 2 HEV is a series hybrid drive system, coupling the Siemens ELFA system with a Ford 2.4L diesel engine:
By all means, the Gemini 2 is Wrightbus' attempt to return to the London market, of which it has been shutted out following TfL's Volvo ban. Along with the B5L though, Wrightbus has two decent platform to compete against ADL, arguably its fiercest competitor recently.
The Gemini 2 HEV is hard the only hybrid vehicle on display at the Wrightbus stand, the other being the Streetcar RTV destined for Las Vegas:
It doesn't look too different from the Streetcar ftrs, but you should know this vehicle has the Hess developed, hybrid-drive chassis instead of the diesel powered Volvo B7LA. The cab is also a bespoke design by Wrightbus:
The interior is, otherwise, very much the same as the Streetcar Ftrs:
- End of Part 3 - (Part 4 Optare has been deferred to Saturday night)
You can certainly bet that they will make it in HK eventually, when ADL decide to revise the E500 again, and/or somehow the Gemini 2 come to HK.
A boardmate here had already posted the configuration of new Enviro500, with no wide seat available
Although different arrangements can be made, this such of wide seat requires a longer front overhang
If Enviro500 has not lengthen the overhang, there is no enough space for the pax to put their legs
So we may conclude that it is impossible for Enviro500 to have a wide seat there
A boardmate here had already posted the configuration of new Enviro500, with no wide seat available
Although different arrangements can be made, this such of wide seat requires a longer front overhan ...
No, I'm not talking about the existing ones (counting the spec shown by Yoram). The problem of the existing E500 is the wheels are too big, there is no way they can put any seats on the front wheel arch. What I mean to say is that kind of seats will be available to yeah another revision, or even replacement, of the E500.
